The Court Physician
by Midnight Oil Till Daybreak
Summary: When Gaius dies suddenly Merlin, being the most trained in the art of healing, accepts the position. The move places Arthur and he on more even social footing and changes the course of events dramatically.
1. Chapter 1

Set before season 5, AU. I do not own Merlin.

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The Court Physician- Chapter 1

Gaius waved his hand in a small motion toward the door he held open, "Just have your boy drink a small portion of that each morning for the next three days and the coughing should be gone by the week's end."

The woman who held the small vial of light green liquid between her index finger and thumb paused just outside the frame, " I cannot thank you enough Sir. It means the world to me."

Gaius smiled uncomfortably, "Tis no trouble Ma'am, it has been my job for more years than I care to say."

The woman laughed a little, more for Gaius's benefit than for discovering actual mirth in the comment. "Well, you certainly deserve all the credit you are given. You are so good to the people of this kingdom. My Mathew, for instance."

"Yes, thank you Ma'am, but, hadn't you said previously that your son's name was August?"

Without a pause she continued, "Yes, he passed a few years ago from a fever. You called on him as well, although he did not fare so well as August has."

Gaius face grew dim. "Ah. That was five years ago wasn't it? That was a bad time, we lost many good souls those months. I am so sorry about your eldest-"

"He was not my eldest!" She nearly spat. Then her face, which had been struck with a look of pure fury was mutilated into one of abject curtesy. "Forgive me, but he was my youngest-my baby."

Recovering from the woman's outburst the elderly healer stated. "A true tragedy Madam, indeed. That medication needs to be delivered quickly though so, please." He gestured to the door once more.

"Of course." She halted once more with one foot out the door and turned back, much to Giaus's displeasure. "I had nearly forgotten! This is for you." She held out a small cloth wrapped object, which Gaius was weary to accept. She thrust it into his hands. "Please! It is bread. I baked it for you this morning; it is a very small token of my… gratitude."

Gaius tried to pull his face into a look of appreciation but could not manage one too convincing. "Thank you Madam."

* * *

Percival strode through the castle on his way deliver some herbs to Gaius before heading to the training fields. It was a task intended for Merlin that the knight had graciously accepted when Arthur's furious voice echoed off of the stone walls the young servant's name. He caught a glance out one of the high windows and paused for a minute to look out at the rambling streets, so grateful to belong to such a place-

Something had knocked him off balance. He looked behind him and saw the skirt of a woman flying down the stairs. "Sorry!" He strained to yell after her, although he was mostly convinced it was not his fault. The woman neither halted, nor replied so Percival rotated and continued the long climb to the top of the tower with his sac of plants he could never possibly learn all the names of.

"Sir" he said while rapping on the door a little harder than he intended. He knocked again, softer, "Gaius I have the herbs you sent Merlin for. It seems he got himself in a tiny bit of trouble with our King but, ha, I can't seem to be able to remember a time when he wasn't. Sir?" Percival placed his ear close to the door in order to hear the response.

What reached his ear was a tiny noise- one he recognized. It sent a bolt of frozen lightning strait down the warrior's spine and forced every hair on his arm to repel the skin it so normally enjoyed the company of. He tore the door open and saw the old man he had come to admire sprawling on the dusty floor. The horrible rasping coming from deep inside Gaius's chest pulled his mind back to darker days. Without a moment's hesitation he flew down the stairs in search of the scrawny man who he believed to be the only hope for Gaius. Percival chased through the halls yelling for Merlin, trying to push from his mind the familiar sound of a man struggling, drawing his final breaths.

* * *

Just three days prior Merlin had endured complaints about his mentor's left knee from dawn to dusk; so (Merlin tried to convince in his own mind) it's not that he didn't know that Gaius was reaching the end of his life. Still, the young man who had been taken into his care just a few short years ago had not been prepared to see his mentor struggling to sustain breath.

"How is he?" Merlin nearly jumped. He had not realized Arthur had come in. Merlin sucked in a breath and turned away from his futile efforts at the workbench to glance at his fading mentor. The old man's chest rose less than half an inch then fell again, too far down.

He tried to compose a positive report, one worthy all of his years spent training as both the king's fool and a healer's assistant-but his shoulder's just sagged with the next fall of Gaius's chest. With the help of his friends Merlin had moved the man to his bed to make him comfortable and applied every remedy he could think of, but nothing had not even come close to stirring Gaius from his sleep. "Any minute now." Merlin spoke somberly; it was the only response he could manufacture.

However, this seemed to be an inefficient amount of information for Arthur. "Any minute now…? He'll what? Wake up?" He has now standing off to Merlin's right. The workbench Merlin was gripping for support prevented him from moving closer and seeing his friend's face. "Merlin!" He exclaimed as he grew frustrated. Arthur gripped his thin shoulder and yanked him around. "Answer me, you incompetent fool! In a few minutes he'll what?!"

It was too late that he noticed the tears that escaped the young man's eyes. Merlin never cried. "I'm sorry." Arthur tried to claim his latest mistake. I didn't know- I hadn't realized-I should have…" He finally stopped talking and waited for Merlin to accept the only apology he could manage. Merlin drew in a shaky breath before looking up, into the face of his king.

"I have tried everything Arthur. Everything I know, everything I have ever seen, heard, or read! Nothing has even had an effect! I have no idea what the cause is; I can't ask a comatose man his symptoms. How can I treat something I don't know!? How?" He begged desperately. "_How?"_

"I do not know," the king returned miserably. The two stood in silence a moment, faces both turned to the sickbed.

"You should keep him company," Arthur suggested, "I would be a comfort to him."

"I've been told I'm terrible company." Arthur could not tell whether Merlin was attempting a joke or is he seriously doubted his vital role in Gaius's life.

"Well that may be true to the majority of Camelot, not to mention the entirety of Britain, but I can say with confidence that you, alone, are the company Gaius would have requested, was he able." And with that he moved a chair to the lonely bedside and forced Merlin down into it.

* * *

When Gaius's chest refused to refill with air once more Merlin leaned forward so far Arthur was afraid he would fall from the chair and crash into Gaius's body. He placed his hand back on Merlin's shoulder to keep him in place and also to convey some form of comfort. He knew what it was to lose a father, and though Gaius and Merlin were far from related the relationship had always been quite clear to those that knew the two.

Finally Merlin spoke, but the words were not any of the ones Arthur had been preparing himself for. "What will the kingdom do without him?" Fortunately, surprising both king and servant, Arthur had an answer:

"They have you. That will have to be enough."


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much everyone for reading and commenting! I didn't expect anyone to review so soon! I apologies for my slow updating: I am still trying to figure out the other (non-reading) side of this site operates. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well- even though the story has not quite gotten up to running speed just yet. Anyway, I do not own Merlin!

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The Court Physician-Chapter 2

'Thankful' was the only word Merlin could find to describe his emotion when Arthur ordered the construction of Gaius's pyre be started in the front courtyard. It was an honor, one usually reserved for direct descendants of the crown (or the most venomous criminals when a point was to be made to the rest of the citizens.) Gaius's body would leave this land in a place worthy of a king, and Merlin could not help but feel that that is as is should be. After the knights marched dutifully out to collect wood and undertake their grim orders Merlin fixed Arthur with a look of confusion.

When a glare in the young man's direction did not deter the gaze Arthur groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh, _what_ Merlin?"

"Nothing!" He answered quickly shaking his head enthusiastically. "It's just-" He began, halting the kings progress toward the large wooden doors. "Thank you…is all."

Arthur nodded his head succinctly. "The man saved my life-and the lives of those whom I care about most- more times than I can recount. He deserved much more." With that he completed his journey to the doorway and passed through, determined to find a quiet place to ease the headache that was ravaging his mind. As he passed a large tapestry of a rearing horse, one that he had never bothered to learn the history of, an arm linked through his and a small head came to his shoulder.

"That was wonderful, whether you are going to admit it or not. You did the right thing. He was a wonderful man." Guinevere's words battled their way into his brain and did a marvelous job settling the previous noises. He sighed once more; there was so much work that still needed to be done.

* * *

Merlin stared at a stack of books he was trying to organize. He squinted at the cover of one that was particularly frayed, trying to make sense of the symbols etched into the front binding, but all he could see were the bright orange flames that had been staining his vision since early this morning when the strong wood supporting his mentor- former mentor- was set aflame.

He picked up another book that was protected by goat skin so old that it was beginning to mold-that could not be a good for it. Merlin pulled in a short, hard breath through his nose and moved his eyes from book to book. "This is _useless_!" He yelled to the perpetually too empty room; he hurled the book and let it crash into the far wall. As it struck the stitches that had been struggling to keep the old pages together snapped: yellowed leather flew in all directions as the cover slid down, taking with it an entire shelve of herbs Merlin had painstakingly collected and dried last month.

"Well, it sound like you're having quite the party in here. Any reason I was not invited?" Merlin whipped his head around to see the beautiful, young queen standing in the doorway with a small basket held loosely in front of her skirt.

"Guinevere?! I am sorry! Your majesty! I'm sorry! I-"

"Merlin!" The woman interjected, "It's alright. I understand. I just came to make sure you ate something today." She holds the small basket out to him.

"Oh!" he responds a little frantically. I'm fine. I have this-I have to-"

"You have a knife in this…room…I assume. I did not bring one." She set the basket down in a small clearing on top of a stack of wooden crates while surveying the damage.

"Yes. Of course! I'm cleaning," he informed. He lifted a bowl and checked under it, then under the book the bowl was resting on, and then under the chaos ridden table in search of anything worthy of cutting. "I promise this really is cleaning. It will be. When I'm done-which obviously will not be for quite some time." He sighed. Gwen flashed him a sympathetic smile.

"You know things always get worse before they get better." At that moment Merlin spotted a quick flash of light underneath the makeshift crate-table Gwen had left the basket on.

"I know." He said before dropping suddenly to his stomach and crawling into the lowest crate. Startled, Gwen took a step back. Merlin emerged a moment later with an armful of scraps piled haphazardly on yet another book. He rose and dropped the load unceremoniously onto an actually-intended-to-be table and let his chin droop slightly as the new objects forced several others over the edge and to the floor. Defeated, he dug through the mess. Finally, he achieved a tiny success as he gripped the knife he had been looking for, handing it to Gwen.

The woman gave him a warm, grateful look as she took the knife, wiping it on a spare cloth she had brought with her. Merlin went back to the mess. A stack of lose papers were moved to the left, an inkwell was placed against the far wall, and small loaf of bread with a few slices removed was held in confusion. "What is this?" he mused quietly. "That man, hah, he did not even share." He set the loaf gently back into the disorder.

Gwen giggled quietly before handing him the fruit of her labor: a small stack of apple slices and a hunk of smoked ham on a white cloth. She knew merlin was not overly keen on meat but she needed him to eat something substantial so she could stop worrying about her friend- well, worry less at least.

Merlin took a bite of his first apple slice, chewed it, and swallowed. He repeated the short string of actions several more times while Gwen began a small stroll around the room to observe the wreckage. She picked up a book with a newer spine and opened the cover. She frowned at what was written on the inside. "Merlin," she inquired moving back to the young man's side, "what language is this?"

Merlin glared intently at the page she held open to him, very quiet. She supposed he was thinking it over-after all she had never even seen it before so chances are he never spent much time with it eith-

"I Don't Know!" He all but roared. Guinevere jumped back several steps and gripped the book tight to her chest in defense against the rise in volume. He was usually so quiet, so soft spoken.

"I have no idea what I am doing! I will never be able to do all the things Gaius was." He was now stomping around the room, his meal long forgotten. "His knowledge on all subjects of medicine where so deep, so thorough! I have nothing but the few basic remedies he taught me! I cannot even read the titles of some of his most important books!" He ripped the book from Gwen's arms and slammed it onto the table, dislodging several poultice bags and a jar of brown liquid that shattered on the floor.

Gwen gasped, speechless. Merlin raged on, "What happens when someone comes to me, hurt, suffering, and all I can do is watch them die?" Finally he ran out of steam and sank down onto the bed that had once been his mentor's. He put his head in his hands and stared at the far wall.

He had all but forgotten that Guinevere was there until her face appeared in his line of sight. She kneeled in front of him, her face set and determined. "You look at me, Merlin." She ordered in her strongest Queen of Camelot voice. Merlin's eyes met hers and they held each other's gaze: neither wavered, neither tearful. "There is nothing more you could have done for Gaius. You tried all you knew-"

"That's exactly my point, Gwen!"

"Shut up, Merlin!" and he fell silent once more, feeling very much the same as when his mother scolded him for staying out too long to play with the sheep. "Think of all of those you have saved! All of the people that are alive because you stayed steady and calm when faced with the idea of sickness and death. Gaius was simply too sick. You know that not everything _can_ be cured and that sometimes very good people that we love die." Her voice broke at that moment and Merlin looked into her watery eyes, knowing she was remembering her father.

After she felt her last words had sunken in she continued, "You are a great healer Merlin, the best that Camelot has- It is true!" She declared when she saw his mouth open to interject. "Name one person in the entire village who is better." That silenced him again-he did not know anyone better. "You can do this. I promise you!" She leaned forward in anticipation of his response.

Merlin took a breath, "I think you have been spending too much time with Arthur," was his only reply.

"What?"

"'Shut up, Merlin!'" He imitated in a terrible impersonation of his friend. "Really it was almost perfect, though next time I would suggest sounding a little less intelligent." He grinned cheekily.

"Ha! No wonder he complains about you so much! Sometime you _need_ someone to tell you when to quit!" Gwen played along, letting Merlin lighted the mood in the room like he was usually so adept at.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Guinevere stood and walked back to the napkin of meat and fruit, placing it once more into Merlin's hands. Merlin smiled at her, infinitely grateful for her kindness and, most of all, her words. "Come in," he belatedly addressed the stranger behind the door.

The door opened very slightly and the small, sweet face of a girl appeared around the wood. "Um…Physician Merlin?" Her voice was as small as she was.

Merlin laughed a little as the sound of the new title smashed into his name before looking over at Gwen, who smiled with real pleasure for the first time in days. "I guess so," he answered. "You can come in," he tried once more.

The girl did not come any closer. "His majesty, the King, would like to see you in the conference room; they are going to add you into the official records and need you to sign the document."


	3. Chapter 3

I'm sorry for how long this took but I hope you enjoy it any way! I do not own Merlin.

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The Court Physician-Chapter 3

"What is this?" Arthur shouted. Merlin looked over from the stack of parchments he was organizing on the long table and looked over toward the irate king. He was holding out his Pauldron for Merlin to inspect.

"What is what, Sire?" Merlin considered how ridiculous he looked holding molded metal intended for his right shoulder; hadn't he finally learned how to put his armor on by himself yet? If not then why did Merlin waste so much time trying to teach him?

"This, you incompetent dolt! Look at the state of this armor; the metal is filthy and tarnished!" He gripped Merlin suddenly by the back of the neck and simultaneously pushed his head toward the metal and pushed the metal into Merlin's stomach. As soon as he could get out of the hold Merlin ripped himself away.

"_Thank you,_ Sire, for that completely appropriate response to the _marginally_ less than perfect armor!"

"Just look at the state of it Merlin!" Arthur both urged and threatened. Merlin let out a great sigh before lifting the shoulder piece up to review its latest polish. He frowned. "There, you see it don't you! It's horrible!"

"It is pretty b-"

"Well, what are you waiting for you moron? Take them back and polish them properly! I'll be laughed off the training field in these!" He shoved another armful of dingy metal into Merlin's thin arms.

"Yes. I will take them back to the armory, Sire, and ask them to be cleaned- _properly_."

"Ask?" Arthur questioned, preventing Merlin from escaping the room. "Since when do you pass off your work onto others? This is your responsibility Merlin, it always have been!"

Merlin had turned to face Arthur fully, so he could look the man square in the face. "Yes, it is- or was before you 'awarded' me the separate position as the court physician. I don't have time to waste scrubbing away at all hours of the night to ensure that you aren't 'laughed off the training field'. I have other work that needs doing, especially with the string of fevers that have been making their way across Camelot! So I gave the armor to a young serving boy who was thrilled to have the task and _I_ spent last night brewing a supply of potions so large we could cure every man and woman that stepped foot in the castle yesterday."

Arthur was struck, unable to pull together a response. It was the same way he felt when Merlin would occasionally forget that he was an idiotic git and offer up sage advice no one else dared to give the young king. Except today _he_ felt like the git. He truly hadn't noticed: under Merlin's eyes were deep, dark bruises. Come to think of it they had probably been there a while. He should have realized the strain he was putting on Merlin; there was no way he could be servant to the king and healer for all of Camelot at the same time.

While Arthur was deep within his own thoughts Merlin mistook his silence for skepticism and decided to dismiss himself before he said something he would come to regret. "I will have these returned shortly." He tilted his head down, just slightly, and turned away.

"Yes! Please do!" Arthur snapped out of his trance, "I mean. Wait, Merlin, don't worry- about the armor. Just leave it. I'll get someone to fix it. Just- go on. Finish your _physician_ business." That wasn't what he meant to say. He wanted to promise Merlin that he would find someone to take over the majority of his lower responsibilities to free up some of his time that had-somehow- over the last few years become…valuable.

Merlin nodded once more, before exiting the room, still balancing the abundance of armor.

Arthur waited until he was out of the door before leaning up against his bedpost and scrubbing at his face in frustration. He sighed dropping his arm to his hip and used the other to propel himself away from the bed frame, "Damn it!"

* * *

Merlin rubbed his eyes. He just spent the last hour struggling to teach the young knave how to properly remove grime and polish armor. It wasn't a matter of dedication (the boy was terribly enthusiastic) but he was small and weak and, frankly, quite simple. Merlin could have competed the chore himself in a much shorter amount of time but knew he would be needing someone to do it quite often and decided now was as good a time as any to start training a—replacement?

He was nearly to the top of the stairs where his combined work and home rested when he heard Gwaine's bright voice, "Ah! There his is! I told you he would be along shortly now, didn't I?" Merlin looked to the door and saw the knight, an aging woman, and short statured group who he presumed to be the woman's multitude of children (the youngest of which seemed to be nearly asleep in Gwaine's arms. That was who he must have been addressing, Merlin concluded. The lad most likely had come down with the fever.

"Hello." He began. "I'm Merlin, please step inside, Madam." He set his shoulders, raised his chin, and widened his step as he went back to work. "Thank you, Gwaine." He said after the man laid the sickly child on the spare cot.

"Of course!" Gwaine smiled cheekily in a way that would be annoying if it was formed by anyone save Gwaine. "Do you need anything else then?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine." Merlin was shuffling around the contents of a basket near the door, "I know you have your own duties to attend to."

"I don't mind. I could…stir something for you, or, grind -something-, or get you a drink." Merlin finally looked up from his rummaging and to the overly helpful man.

"No," he said suspiciously, "I'm fine. Trying to avoid training are you?" he quipped.

"_What_?" Gwaine held his hand to his heart, "I would _never_ do such a thing!" He turned toward the crowd of children and winked. His antics were rewarded with a chorus of giggles and a tiny smile from Merlin- so distant from what his smile usually was. "Well then, I guess I'll be on my way if you're_ absolutely_ sure I can't be of any help…" He looked pointedly at Merlin who shook his head. "Humph," he let his shoulders drop, "Well, I'll see you later I guess." Though he couldn't hold his sad face as he exited and smiled at the children once more, who waved back to him.

After the door shut the grin dropped from Gwaine's face. Arthur was right to have sent him to check on Merlin; the man was struggling, more so than Gwaine had ever seen. Gwaine began his descent to the more frequented levels of the castle to seek the King and to confirm his suspicions.

* * *

Arthur hesitated once more when he reached the door at the end of the tower steps and cursed himself for his indecision. He thought about Gwaine's report of a distressed and exhausted Merlin. He should apologies and ask Merlin to forgive his insensitivity, he should reward him for his dedication to his new (and very important) position, he should let the man know that he is doing Gaius proud. He needed to, in fact… right now. He pushed his way into the circular room without so much as a short warning to the parties on the other side.

A short woman with stringy, brown hair gasped dramatically as the door slammed against the wall. Arthur froze as he took in the scene before him. "Sorry," he said finally, "I didn't mean to open the door like that- so fast- sorry Ma'am." He dipped his head slightly to the young woman and she began to frantically shake her head back in forth seemingly terrified that the king would apologies to her.

Arthur looked to Merlin, who was smirking like the time Arthur stepped in a horse apple last month. "Hey! Stop that, you look like a fool! Aren't you supposed to be working now?" Arthur spoke, though he stayed on the other side of the room to allow Merlin privacy with his patient.

"Yes, of course, Sire." He was still smirking, but at least he was facing the woman again. "Drink this again tonight and you should be better by the end of the week."

"Thank you, so much. I can't begin to thank you enough." The kind looking woman held one of the many vials Merlin had labored over last night. Her face was red, though from fever or embarrassment Arthur couldn't say.

"Ah!" Merlin smiled embarrassedly, "Yes you can. You paid me didn't you?"

"Well, yes," she relented, "But it is not quite a thank you."

"Buuuuut, that was." Merlin looked at her with soft victory.

"Yes, I guess it was." Her chin was now tucked almost completely to her chest. The poor thing, Arthur thought, intimidated by _Merlin_ for God's sake.

"I hope to see you again, Ma'am. Although hopefully under happier circumstances."

Arthur held the door for the flustered woman as she shuffled out, smiling once at Merlin from beneath her bangs.

"Well," he began, "Now I see why you like your new job so well." Arthur strolled over to Merlin who was busying himself over his work table for the thousandth time today.

"Uh, because I'm good at it?" Merlin attempted to brag.

"No," Arthur said from directly behind the young physician, "because you can flirt with all the patients."

Merlin spun around, "I was not!"

"Really, because she seemed to think you were."

"I wasn't though." Merlin just shook his head again, relenting.

Arthur took a step back and looked around the disastrous room that Merlin had not had a moment to clean. "Anyway, you can be glad to know that you will have even more time to _not_ flirt with patients as I have transferred all of your previous, man-servant, duties on." He rested his left wrist in his right fist and waited for Merlin to acknowledge this information.

Merlin looked over to him slowly, then to the small window on the far wall, and finally back to the king. "To who?"

"I'm sorry?" Arthur leaned toward the other man.

"Who have the other duties been transferred to?" He sounded almost mad.

Arthur shifted his weight and responded, "To many individuals; the responsibilities have been divided until I find a suitable replacement man-servant. "

"And how long will that be?" Arthur looked the tied man over: his chin up, his small chest wide as it could go.

"I don't know." Arthur started toward the door but stopped when his shoulder was even with Merlin's; both men facing opposite directions. Arthur clapped his hand on Merlin's shoulder hard, shaking the receiver significantly. "I just came to inform you that you'd been freed from those duties. Replacement could take a while though…" he hesitated, "the last once left quite a hole to be filled." And with that the king was out the door and down the stairs.

It wasn't technically an apology, but it would be enough for Merlin. No one had ever known or understood him as well as Merlin had. Arthur would never admit how much the loss of the company of his best friend weighed on him.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading!


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